This was a point in time where Mr. McMahon was at his most tyrannical, especially regarding his family. He had just bought out the competition and was having a very public affair with Trish Stratus after his wife Linda suffered a stroke. Except he hadn't made it to the meeting to sign the contract. Shane McMahon ended up buying WCW from under his father's nose, leading to this Street Fight. Shane would be fighting for his mother's honor, with Vince just wanting to save face and teach his son a lesson. Jim Ross and Paul Heyman are on commentary for this match, a pairing I personally would have liked to see at the booth a lot more.
Before the match Vince is backstage with Trish Stratus and Stephanie McMahon, instructing Trish to bring Linda out in her wheelchair when Shane is incapacitated. The video package before the match makes it seem like the feud's gone on a lot longer. They really used to cram a lot into television time, huh? The “WCW Chairman” makes his way down first, giving a shoutout to his WCW employees in the crowd. Speaking of WCW employees (at one time) Mick Foley makes his way down to referee this match, flannel ref shirt and all. Stephanie McMahon-Helmsley accompanies her father to the ring
VINCE McMAHON VS. SHANE McMAHON (Street Fight)
WWF Wrestlemania 17 (1st April 2001)
A slap to the face by Vince starts it off, with more slaps following as Shane walks back into the corner... Vince starts tapping Shane with rights in the corner before choking him. Mr. McMahon kicks Shane in the ribs and Shane gets a shot in from his knees. Vince carries on the attack in the corner until Shane gets some lucky shots in and shoves Vince away, coming out of the corner with a clothesline. Shane spears Vince and gets some rights in when they're on the ground. Steph looks on with her Daddy's Girl jacket in full view, like when people get a new watch and walk around with their sleeves rolled up. Shane drops some elbows on Vince, including a jumping elbow drop. This draws in Stephanie McMahon, who backs Shane off as Vince goes to the floor for a breather. Stephanie slaps Shane and runs for it so Shane goes back to the match, hitting Vince with a baseball slide, sending him to the foot of the ramp. Shane hits Vince with rights and grabs a sign from beside the ramp as we see a replay of Steph's slap. Shane continues the attack with the sign before wrapping a cable around Vince's throat and sending him into the steel steps. It looked like he wasn't sure if he wanted to send him into them or over them though.
Shane McMahon hits a clothesline off the security wall, just as Stephanie did last month at No Way Out (which I reviewed here) and sends Vince into the security wall. Shane McMahon grabs a kendo stick from under the ring and lays into his dad's midsection with it before the dancing jabs make an appearance, getting a surprising reaction from the crowd. Paul Heyman, a man that fired his own mother over the phone is talking about family values as Shane prepares the Spanish announce table. Shane knocks Vince into position with a monitor and leaps to the top rope. OK, that was pretty athletic. Stephanie stands between her brother and father but Shane leaps anyway, so she pulls Mr. McMahon out of the way! As Mick Foley goes to find the remains of Shane McMahon from the announce table wreckage we see a replay and cut back to Trish Stratus wheeling Linda McMahon down to the ring. JR and Heyman argue over Vince increasing Linda's medication for tonight was for her sake or his own reasons.
Trish Stratus checks on Vince, helping him up but turns on him, slapping him in the face. Stephanie McMahon adds to the slap count, going after Trish but gets rammed into the side of the ring. Trish sends Steph's head into the ring apron. Stephanie kicks Trish away and tries to escape across the ring but Trish catches up to her, taking her down and slapping her on the mat. Mick Foley picks Stephanie McMahon-Helmsley up, breaking up the catfight and gets a slap for his troubles. Trish Stratus chases Stephanie McMahon-Helmsley backstage.
Back at ringside Vince is face to face with his sedated wife. He calls Linda a bitch but Mick Foley gets in his face warning him not to take it further, we have a match going on here! Mick Foley tries to wheel Linda away but Vince hits him with a chair from behind. Mick Foley gets to his feet, turning around into another chairshot to the head. He sits Linda on the broken chair in the corner of the ring and goes back to Shane, who has just begun to stir. Shane is thrown into the ring and trash cans immediately follow him. Shane even sells one that lands on his leg. Vince hits Shane with the first trash can before non-chelantly throwing it at Heyman and JR on commentary. He tells Linda to watch what he does to their son before imploding a trashcan over Shane's back. He goes back to talk trash to his wife and picks up another trashcan, but Linda is on her feet! Shane points behind Vince as she walks towards him. Vince McMahon is frozen in shock as Linda hits a low blow and casually gets out of the ring. Mick Foley gets back in the ring, backing Vince into the corner with right hands, with more coming when he's in the corner. Mick Foley follows up with a running knee as Linda cheers them on. Shane McMahon decides not to his dad with the trashcan, instead allowing his father to hold it in place for the debut of the Coast to Coast dropkick and Shane picking up the win. Mick Foley leaves with Linda McMahon as we go to the replays.
WINNER: SHANE MCMAHON
This match hasn't aged well for me personally, I used to enjoy it a lot more. Nothing they did looked great, the match was filled with plunder and only Mick Foley and Linda McMahon really got a reaction. It was Vince Russo booking when he didn't even have a job. – WORKRATE: 1/5 PERSONAL ENJOYMENT 2/5 OVERALL 3/10
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